The data released by British authorities reflect the highest figures reported this year. It comes amid ongoing plans to “stop the boats,” notably through a controversial deportation deal signed with Rwanda.
The arrivals on Wednesday topped the nation’s previous high of 534 on April 14.
Authorities say the total number of migrants to date who have crossed into the U.K. through the Channel so far is 8,278.
The highest-ever figure in single-day was recorded on August 22, 2022, after 1,295 crossed into the nation.
Illegal migration has been a major political issue in the U.K., given the government's promise to tighten its borders after leaving the European Union. But doing so has proved harder to implement, with the Conservative lawmakers desperate to trumpet successes as Britain goes into local elections on Thursday and a general election later this year.
Some 122,600 people have been intercepted in British waters and brought ashore since the nation began recording arrivals in 2018.
U.K.’s interior ministry this week confirmed it has begun detaining failed asylum seekers with a view to deporting them to Rwanda, after parliament passed a law declaring it a safe third country. Thereafter, several migrants were seen in photos and video footage being taken away in handcuffs by immigration officers.
Since the Home Office confirmed the operation on Wednesday, there have been several protests outside immigration centers to try to prevent removals.
International human rights groups join protestors in the call to prevent deportations to Rwanda.
Yasmine Ahmed, the U.K.’s Director for Human Rights Watch, HRW, says the measures being implemented by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government “will not deter” illegal migrants.
“People are seeking protection from persecution and they are going to find any means possible,” Ahmed said.
The plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda will make it more dangerous for migrants “because these individuals will need to come here (U.K.) under the radar and in a way that will make them less likely detected,” the HRW authority said.
VOA’s Carol Van Dam contributed to this report. Some information was sourced from Agence France-Presse.
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